Welcome to Arizona... My 42mm tire gravel bike doesn't get much use here - mostly after it rains. 50mm gravel tires or hardtail MTB with 2.2 tires help, but smooth and flowy in AZ is chunky and rutted anywhere else. Thanks for the detailed look at this route.
Those bits of single track and sand, rocky descents were general madness. 😂. You gave a new twist on the phrase" here's mud in your eye" In your case here's a whole lotta bloody sand in your shoes😂
It took 25 yrs but the Tucsonistan area finally wore me out. Moved back east this past August and am now looking forward to riding the Ohio to Erie bike path this spring. Enough of being scorched in the Sonoran. You did heroically well on that route on a gravel bike. Well done sir
Many thanks! I enjoy visiting the desert, but I certainly could not live there. I hope you complete the Ohio to Erie bike path ride. Have you seen the C&O Tow Path canal from the DC area to Cumberland, MD? I rode that a few years ago and recorded the experience on the channel, and took the Amtrak back to DC from Cumberland. Videos if you are so inclined: C&O Day 1 - th-cam.com/video/-tA81aVNSME/w-d-xo.html C&O Day 2 - th-cam.com/video/_WZd4GpVwvs/w-d-xo.html Finally, you can extend this adventure by riding the GAP Trail to Pittsburgh from Cumberland. I would like to complete that journey another time. Good luck with everything on the East!
I found the Dirty Freehub through your vids several years ago JOM. Used some of their routes when I was out in Tucson back in Covid days. Like you, I had not read into the details much just grabbed the route when I got to town. Pickly Pear was the route. And exactly like you experienced, I was definitely under biked...or at least under tired. Had 38mm and see that they now recommend 2.1..Ouch. Like others have said, their site is a great resource. Cheers and thanks for another fun video.
Seems like a great route! Classic Arizona gravel riding. The one thing about being out there - distances are greater and climbs are tougher than they look.
100%. The rocky terrain which I expected, did catch me by surprise towards the end of the route. I felt underbiked so to speak, on those parts of the course. I seldom squawk in videos, but I wanted people to be aware of riding in this area, vs areas that are considerably easier to ride. Appreciate you chiming in!
Great video. The AZT is a trail that runs the entire length of AZ from Mexico to Utah. There's a race every year. Some parts are super techy and an MTB is always the way to go. Theres so much riding out past Florence and only a short drive so I'm hoping to talk some buddies into riding out there but definitely not this same route on our gravels. Definitely not the Patagonia trails as you've ridden in the past. 😁
Thanks for chiming in! Patagonia is a snap vs this area of Arizona. 100% on the MTB, this ride really tested my skills, 700c x 45 was not cutting it later in the ride.
The cacti wasn't a worry, but snakes could be an issue depending on your luck. Despite having a lot of experience riding all manner of terrain including rocky stuff as seen in this video, this area really tested my skills, bike, and tyres. Definitely could have used wider tyres for the later part of the ride.
Pretty typical Sonoran Desert riding, sandy roads and sandy washes, lots of rocks. I ride it all the time in the PHX area, I do treat desert gravel riding more like MTB, if I ride alone I have a small pack with 2 liter reservoir and I carry a Garmin Inreach in areas with spotty phone coverage. In AZ you learn that the most important item is H2O, like a lot of AZ cyclists I do ride in the summer.
@@GravelCyclist Yeah because you mentioned you can't afford to have a crash out there given some of the terrain. I had a similar experience on similar terrain with longer downhills and very few people about, along with no cell service. So I am looking at the Garmin Inreach device.
Indeed. Not my usual style, but the latter part of the route was difficult AF, an MTB with wider tyres would have been a better choice of bike. Regardless, good for the coming review of the No. 22, which did well considering some of the rocky AF $hitty terrain. This is not a route I recommend you ride solo, and definitely reverse it... you want the easy stuff towards the end, not the beginning.
@@GravelCyclist With all that sand, you may even want a fatbike! It's a shame about the ATV use, though; I hate how they have access to hiking/biking trails in a lot of places.
Haha, it may have helped. I'm thinking 2.2" MTB tyres would have sunk in that very pebbly sand, but they would have helped immensely on the rocky terrain in places. This route is deceiving because it is not challenging at all during the first 20ish miles.
Welcome to Arizona... My 42mm tire gravel bike doesn't get much use here - mostly after it rains. 50mm gravel tires or hardtail MTB with 2.2 tires help, but smooth and flowy in AZ is chunky and rutted anywhere else. Thanks for the detailed look at this route.
Thank you, Todd. I was definitely underbiking so to speak, during the later parts of this ride.
The Dirty Freehub route library is such an amazing resource for the region.
100%, they put in so much work to route development.
Bravo for keeping your composure and not rage quitting the ride! Great video evidence of underbiking!
Thank you. Complaining isn't usually my style, but I wanted to highlight the difficulty of this route, particularly later.
Those bits of single track and sand, rocky descents were general madness. 😂.
You gave a new twist on the phrase" here's mud in your eye"
In your case here's a whole lotta bloody sand in your shoes😂
A crap ton of sand and small pebbly bits in my shoes. On the positive, I did make it to the Penske Racing Museum before closing time :)
It took 25 yrs but the Tucsonistan area finally wore me out. Moved back east this past August and am now looking forward to riding the Ohio to Erie bike path this spring. Enough of being scorched in the Sonoran. You did heroically well on that route on a gravel bike. Well done sir
Many thanks! I enjoy visiting the desert, but I certainly could not live there. I hope you complete the Ohio to Erie bike path ride. Have you seen the C&O Tow Path canal from the DC area to Cumberland, MD? I rode that a few years ago and recorded the experience on the channel, and took the Amtrak back to DC from Cumberland.
Videos if you are so inclined:
C&O Day 1 - th-cam.com/video/-tA81aVNSME/w-d-xo.html
C&O Day 2 - th-cam.com/video/_WZd4GpVwvs/w-d-xo.html
Finally, you can extend this adventure by riding the GAP Trail to Pittsburgh from Cumberland. I would like to complete that journey another time.
Good luck with everything on the East!
I found the Dirty Freehub through your vids several years ago JOM. Used some of their routes when I was out in Tucson back in Covid days. Like you, I had not read into the details much just grabbed the route when I got to town. Pickly Pear was the route. And exactly like you experienced, I was definitely under biked...or at least under tired. Had 38mm and see that they now recommend 2.1..Ouch. Like others have said, their site is a great resource. Cheers and thanks for another fun video.
Seems like a great route! Classic Arizona gravel riding. The one thing about being out there - distances are greater and climbs are tougher than they look.
100%. The rocky terrain which I expected, did catch me by surprise towards the end of the route. I felt underbiked so to speak, on those parts of the course. I seldom squawk in videos, but I wanted people to be aware of riding in this area, vs areas that are considerably easier to ride. Appreciate you chiming in!
@@GravelCyclist Yeah man! Love your show.
(3:18) The snake wanted to know how it riii-iiides.
this is another way of getting a snake bite flat.
Great video. The AZT is a trail that runs the entire length of AZ from Mexico to Utah. There's a race every year. Some parts are super techy and an MTB is always the way to go. Theres so much riding out past Florence and only a short drive so I'm hoping to talk some buddies into riding out there but definitely not this same route on our gravels.
Definitely not the Patagonia trails as you've ridden in the past. 😁
Thanks for chiming in! Patagonia is a snap vs this area of Arizona. 100% on the MTB, this ride really tested my skills, 700c x 45 was not cutting it later in the ride.
Expected to see a segment on flat repair during that ride.😯
Somehow, no punctures!
Dodging venomous snakes and cacti is so vastly different from my my riding in Canada lol
The cacti wasn't a worry, but snakes could be an issue depending on your luck. Despite having a lot of experience riding all manner of terrain including rocky stuff as seen in this video, this area really tested my skills, bike, and tyres. Definitely could have used wider tyres for the later part of the ride.
@@GravelCyclist Got crazy rough there for a bit. I'll have to make a trip to Arizona one day, looks beautiful.
"I did not die today"😂
Pretty typical Sonoran Desert riding, sandy roads and sandy washes, lots of rocks. I ride it all the time in the PHX area, I do treat desert gravel riding more like MTB, if I ride alone I have a small pack with 2 liter reservoir and I carry a Garmin Inreach in areas with spotty phone coverage. In AZ you learn that the most important item is H2O, like a lot of AZ cyclists I do ride in the summer.
100% on Garmin Inreach if I rode here regularly.
with conditions like that, thigs can go from bad to worse in no time.
Can't afford to get f'd up😂
How did those wheels perform?
The wheels, no problem (review coming later), but for the later parts of the route, I really need wider tyres to cope with the very rocky terrain.
Hey JOM, Given there is no cell service in spots are you carrying some sort of satellite communication device?
Hello there, I would definitely be buying a device like that if I was way off the beaten track on a regular basis.
@@GravelCyclist Yeah because you mentioned you can't afford to have a crash out there given some of the terrain. I had a similar experience on similar terrain with longer downhills and very few people about, along with no cell service. So I am looking at the Garmin Inreach device.
IMHO, not a gravel route!
Actually a bull snake. They look a lot like rattlesnakes bun harmless.
Thank you!
Lots of complaining in this one!
Indeed. Not my usual style, but the latter part of the route was difficult AF, an MTB with wider tyres would have been a better choice of bike. Regardless, good for the coming review of the No. 22, which did well considering some of the rocky AF $hitty terrain. This is not a route I recommend you ride solo, and definitely reverse it... you want the easy stuff towards the end, not the beginning.
@@GravelCyclist With all that sand, you may even want a fatbike! It's a shame about the ATV use, though; I hate how they have access to hiking/biking trails in a lot of places.
Haha, it may have helped. I'm thinking 2.2" MTB tyres would have sunk in that very pebbly sand, but they would have helped immensely on the rocky terrain in places. This route is deceiving because it is not challenging at all during the first 20ish miles.